His sparkling eyes, replete with wrathful fire,
More dazzled and drove back his enemies
Than mid-day sun fierce bent against their faces.
What should I say? his deeds exceed all speech:
He ne'er lift up his hand but conqueréd.

Exe. We mourn in black: why mourn we not in blood?

Henry is dead, and never shall revive:
Upon a wooden coffin we attend;
And death's dishonourable victory
We with our stately presence glorify,
Like captives bound to a triumphant car.
What, shall we curse the planets of mishap
That plotted thus our glory's overthrow?
Or shall we think the subtle-witted French
Conjurors and sorcerers, that, afraid of him,
By magic verses have contrived his end?

Win. He was a king blessed of the King of kings.

Unto the French the dreadful judgment day
So dreadful will not be, as was his sight.
The battles of the Lord of hosts he fought:
The church's prayers made him so prosperous.
Glo. The church! where is it? Had not church-

And ne'er throughout the year to church thou go'st,

Except it be to pray against thy foes.

Bed. Cease, cease these jars, and rest your minds in peace!

Let's to the altar :-Heralds, wait on us :-
Instead of gold, we 'll offer up our arms;
Since arms avail not, now that lienry's dead.-
Posterity, await for wretched years,

When at their mothers' moist eyes babes shall suck,

Our isle be made a nourish of salt tears,
And none but women left to wail the dead.-
Henry the Fifth, thy ghost I invocate!
Prosper this realm, keep it from civil broils:
Combat with adverse planets in the heavens!
A far more glorious star thy soul will make
Than Julius Cæsar or bright-

Of loss, of slaughter, and discomfiture:
Guienne, Champaigne, Rheims, Orleans,
Paris, Guysors, Poictiers, are all quite lost.
Bed. What say'st thou, man, before dead
Henry's corse?

Speak softly, or the loss of those great towns
Will make him burst his lead and rise from

death.

Glo. Is Paris lost? is Rouen yielded up?

If Henry were recalled to life again, These news would cause him once more yield the ghost.

Exe. How were they lost; what treachery

was used?

Mess. No treachery; but want of men and

money.

Among the soldiers this is mutteréd :—
That here you maintain several factions,
And, whilst a field should be despatched and
fought,

You are disputing of your generals.

One would have lingering wars, with little cost;
Another would fly swift, but wanteth wings;
A third man thinks, without expense at all,
By guileful fair words peace may be obtained.
Awake, awake, English nobility!
Let not sloth dim your honours new begot.
Cropped are the flower-de-luces in your arms:
Of England's coat one half is cut away.

Exe. Were our tears wanting to this funeral, These tidings would call forth her flowing tides.

Bed. Me they concern: regent I am of France: Give me my steeléd coat, I'll fight for France. Away with these disgraceful wailing robes! Wounds I will lend the French, instead of eyes, Το weep their intermissive miseries.

Enter another Messenger.

2nd Mess. Lords, view these letters, full of bad mischance:

France is revolted from the English quite,
Except some petty towns of no import.
The Dauphin Charles is crownéd king in
Rheims;

The Bastard of Orleans with him is joined;
Reignier, Duke of Anjou, doth take his part;
The Duke of Alençon flieth to his side.

Exe. The Dauphin crownéd king! all fly to

him!

O whither shall we fly from this reproach? Glo. We will not fly but to our enemies' throats.

Bedford, if thou be slack, I'll fight it out.
Bed. Gloster, why doubt'st thou of my for-
wardness?

An army have I mustered in my thoughts,
Wherewith already France is overrun.

Enter a third Messenger.

3rd Mess. My gracious lords (to add to your
laments

Wherewith you now bedew King Henry's hearse),
I must inform you of a dismal fight
Betwixt the stout Lord Talbot and the French.

Win. What! wherein Talbot overcame: is 't so?
3rd Mess. Ono: wherein Lord Talbot was o'er-
thrown.

The circumstance I'll tell you more at large :-
The tenth of August last, this dreadful lord,
Retiring from the siege of Orleans,
Having full scarce six thousand in his troop,
By three-and-twenty thousand of the French
Was round encompasséd and set upon.
No leisure had he to enrank his men :
He wanted pikes to set before his archers;
Instead whereof, sharp stakes, plucked out of
hedges,

They pitched in the ground confusedly,
To keep the horsemen off from breaking in
More than three hours the fight continuéd;
Where valiant Talbot, above human thought,
Enacted wonders with his sword and lance.
Hundreds he sent to hell, and none durst stand
him :

Here, there, and everywhere, enraged he slew.
The French exclaimed, the devil was in arms:
All the whole army stood agazed on him:
His soldiers, spying his undaunted spirit,
"A Talbot! a Talbot!" cried out amain,
And rushed into the bowels of the battle.
Here had the conquest fully been sealed up,
If Sir John Fastolfe had not played the coward:
He, being in the vaward (placed behind
With purpose to relieve and follow them),
Cowardly fled, not having struck one stroke.
Hence grew the general wreck and massacre :
Enclosed were they with their enemies.

A base Walloon, to win the Dauphin's grace,
Thrust Talbot with a spear into the back;
Whom all France, with their chief assembled
strength,

Durst not presume to look once in the face.

Bed. Is Talbot slain? then I will slay myself, For living idly here, in pomp and ease, Whilst such a worthy leader, wanting aid, Unto his dastard foemen is betrayed.

3rd Mess. Ono, he lives, but is took prisoner: And Lord Scales with him, and Lord Hungerford: Most of the rest slaughtered or took likewise.

Bed. His ransom there is none but I shall pay : I'll hale the Dauphin headlong from his throne; His crown shall be the ransom of my friend: Four of their lords I'll change for one of ours.Farewell, my masters; to my task will I : Bonfires in France forthwith I am to make,

SCENE II.-France. Before Orleans. Enter CHARLES, with his Forces; ALENCON, REIGNIER, and others.

Char. Mars his true moving (even as in the
heavens

So in the earth) to this day is not known.
Late did he shine upon the English side :
Now we are victors; upon us he smiles.
What towns of any moment but we have
At pleasure here we lie near Orleans;
Otherwhiles the famished English, like pale
ghosts,

Faintly besiege us one hour in a month.

Alen. They want their porridge and their fat bull-beeves:

Either they must be dieted like mules,
And have their provender tied to their mouths,
Or piteous they will look, like drowned mice.
Reig. Let's raise the siege: why live we idly

here?

Talbot is taken, whom we wont to fear: Remaineth none but mad-brained Salisbury,

And he may well in fretting spend his gall;
Nor men nor money hath he to make war.

Char. Sound, sound alarum: we will rush on them.

Now for the honour of the forlorn French!
Him I forgive my death, that killeth me
When he sees me go back one foot, or fly.

[Exeunt. Alarums; Excursions; afterwards a Retreat. Re-enter CHARLES, ÁLENCON, REIGNIER, and others.

Char. Who ever saw the like? what men have I !

Dogs, cowards, dastards!-I would ne'er have fled,

But that they left me 'midst my enemies.
Reig. Salisbury is a desperate homicide;
He fighteth as one weary of his life.
The other lords, like lions wanting food,
Do rush upon us as their hungry prey.

Alen. Froissart, a countryman of ours, records,
England all Olivers and Rowlands bred
During the time Edward the Third did reign.
More truly now may this be verified;
For none but Samsons and Goliasses
It sendeth forth to skirmish. One to ten;
Lean rawboned rascals! who would e'er suppose
They had such courage and audacity?

Char. Let's leave this town; for they are hair-brained slaves,

And hunger will enforce them to be more eager.
Of old I know them: rather with their teeth
The walls they'll tear down, than forsake the siege.
Reig. I think, by some odd gimmals or device,
Their arms are set like clocks, still to strike on;
Else ne'er could they hold out so as they do.
By my consent we'll e'en let them alone.
Alen. Be it so.

Enter the BASTARD of ORLEANS. Bast. Where's the Prince Dauphin? I have

news for him.

Char. Bastard of Orleans, thrice welcome to us. Bast. Methinks your looks are sad, your cheer appalled:

Hath the late overthrow wrought this offence?
Be not dismayed, for succour is at hand :
A holy maid hither with me I bring,
Which, by a vision sent to her from heaven,
Ordained is to raise this tedious siege,
And drive the English forth the bounds of France.
The spirit of deep prophecy she hath,
Exceeding the nine sibyls of old Rome:
What's past and what's to come she can descry.
Speak, shall I call her in? Believe my words,
For they are certain and unfallible.

Char. Go, call her in. [Erit BASTARD.]-But

first, to try her skill,

Reignier, stand thou as Dauphin in my place:
Question her proudly, let thy looks be stern.
By this means shall we sound what skill she hath.
[Retires.

Enter La POCELLE, BASTARD of ORLEANS, and others.

Reig. Fair maid, is 't thou wilt do those wondrous feats?

Puc. Reignier, is't thou that thinkest to beguile me?—

Where is the Dauphin?-erme, come from behind:
I know thee well, though never seen before.
Be not amazed; there's nothing hid from me.
In private will I talk to thee apart :—
Stand back, you lords, and give us leave awhile.
Reig. She takes upon her bravely at first dash.
Puc. Dauphin, I am by birth a shepherd's
daughter;

My wit untrained in any kind of art.
Heaven and our Lady gracious hath it pleased
To shine on my contemptible estate.

Lo, whilst I waited on my tender lambs,
And to sun's parching heat displayed my cheeks,
God's mother deigned to appear to me,
And, in a vision full of majesty,
Willed me to leave my base vocation.
And free my country from calamity:
Her aid she promised, and assured success.
In cómplete glory she revealed herself:
And, whereas I was black and swart before,
With those clear rays which she infused on me
That beauty am I blessed with which you see.
Ask me what question thou canst possible,
And I will answer unpremeditated:
My courage try by combat, if thou dar'st,
And thou shalt find that I exceed my sex.
Resolve on this :-thou shalt be fortunate,
If thou receive me for thy warlike mate.
Char. Thou hast astonished me with thy high

Char. Stay, stay thy hand! Thou art an Amazon,

And fightest with the sword of Deborah. Puc. Christ's mother helps me, else I were too weak.

Char. Whoe'er helps thee, 't is thou that must help me.

Impatiently I burn with thy desire:
My heart and hands thou hast at once subdued.
Excellent Pucelle, if thy name be so,
Let me thy servant, and not sovereign, be:
"Tis the French Dauphin sueth to thee thus.
Puc. I must not yield to any rites of love,
For my profession's sacred from above.
When I have chased all thy foes from hence,
Then will I think upon a recompense.

Char. Meantime look gracious on thy prostrate thrall.

Reig. My lord, methinks, is very long in talk.

Alen. Doubtless he shrives this woman to her

smock:

Else ne'er could he so long protract his speech. Reig. Shall we disturb him, since he keeps no

mean?

Alen. He may mean more than we poor men

do know :

These women are shrewd tempters with their tongues.

Teig. My lord, where are you? What devise

you on?

Shall we give over Orleans, or no?